Analysis of nucleic acids in single cells

In the upcoming era of genome-based diagnostics, reliable technologies for single-cell isolation will be the first key factor in a long line of methods to constantly develop our abilities for personalized medicine. For molecular analysis of single cells, the small amount of DNA is an obvious obstacle. In principle, all types of genomic analyses applicable to millions of cells can also be used for single-cell analysis. Although genomic DNA is more stable than RNA, and therefore better suited for clinical use, especially for sample transport and logistics, important information about the phenotype and functional characteristics of cells cannot be extracted from genomic DNA. The fundamental question that needed to be adequately addressed in quantitative single-cell analyses was the influence of the low mRNA amount present in single cells and the highly variable mRNA levels between individual cells on experimental variations